Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 157 



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less furnishes, when treated with nitric acid, a large quantity of la- 

 mellar, brilliant crystals of picic acid, and only traces of oxalic acid. 

 When infusion of galls is added to gelatinous apiin, liquefied by 

 heat, no sensible change is produced, except that on cooling the mix- 

 ture solidifies into an opake white mass, which again liquefies by 

 heat. Chlorine gas, when passed into the gelatinous apiin, converts it 

 into a yellowish matter, which is insoluble in boiling water, but soluble 

 in alcohol and weak alkaline solutions ; there is also produced a small 

 quantity of carbazotic acid. It appears that apiin may be classed 

 with the substances composed of carbon, hydrogen and water, and 

 intermediate as to gums and resins. It may be supposed that apiin 

 exists in variable quantities on umbelliferous plants ; but M. Bra- 

 connot admits that he found very little in the leaves or stalks of 

 celery, and none in chervil. — Ann. de Ch. et de Ph., Octobre 1843. 



ON SULPHOCAMPHORIC ACID. BY M. PHILIPPE WALTER. 



Let a platina capsule be half filled with common sulphuric acid, 

 gradually add to it small portions of anhydrous camphoric acid 

 in very fine powder, stir the mixture continually, and the cam- 

 phoric acid dissolves, forming a perfectly limpid solution ; the sul- 

 phuric acid should be in considerable excess. Nordhausen and an- 

 hydrous sulphuric acid may be used instead of common ; but they 

 do not answer the purpose so conveniently. 



If the mixture of the two acids be largely diluted with water, the 

 anhydrous camphoric acid being but slightly soluble in water, is en- 

 tirely precipitated, which proves that it is simply dissolved in the 

 sulphuric acid, and that this acid has not acted upon it. 



If, however, the mixture be cautiously heated to between 105° and 

 120° F., the surface becomes covered with bubbles of gas, and at 

 150° the disengagement is rapid and considerable; on examination 

 it was found to be carbonic oxide free from sulphurous and carbonic 

 acid ; the heat was continued in a water-bath for about an hour, 

 when the mixture had assumed a brown tint. It was then largely di- 

 luted with water and suffered to remain one or more days, during 

 which the unaltered camphoric acid was deposited, and the solution 

 acquired a green colour owing to the formation of a new product. 

 The camphoric acid being separated by filtration, the green-coloured 

 solution is to be exposed in vacuo over a vessel containing sulphuric 

 acid, and in a day or two crystals of some hundredths of an inch in 

 length are formed, which are frequently of a green colour, so as to 

 give rise to suspicion of the presence of copper ; but it is derived 

 from the imperfect precipitation of the green colouring matter formed. 

 These crystals, after proper draining and pressure on filtering paper, 

 are to be dissolved in very strong alcohol, and the solution, by expo- 

 sure to spontaneous evaporation, yields crystals which are to be again 

 dissolved in water, and the solution, by evaporation over a water- 

 bath, yields colourless crystals, which are sulphocamphoric acid ; 

 these, after draining, are dried by exposure to the air. 



This acid yielded by analysis, — 



